Chapter 1: Jay and Dick pick their first shared apartment!

"Are you serious?"

It was a Wednesday morning. It could've been like every Wednesday morning in which Dick would head to work and Jason to college. But no, that Wednesday morning was a special one for them; a morning for which both had taken their day off.

That Wednesday morning they were visiting their possible near future apartment in one of the nice quarters of Gotham City.

Jason and Dick - now having been a couple for three years – had decided to take another step into a solid relationship and, despite protests and disapproval of the family, wanted to move in together. Jason didn't think it was a big deal, since he either spent most of the time in Dick's apartment or vice versa. They were already living together, only had their space become too little for two people to live in.

Dick on the other hand had seemed to be on cloud nine when Jason had asked him to move in together. He thought it was a very big deal, and so he made it one.

A few days after that decision Jason had found several newspaper articles neatly cut out of the newspaper; housing supplies to be precise. Then Dick had bought color charts and already made his plans on which color the walls should be painted.

"Why should we even paint them?" Jason would always ask.

"Because it'll be a home and we should make it comfortable," Dick would always answer. Well, if he thought so, then so be it, Jason would always think.

Several days later Dick had also bombed him with his ideas of the floor covering, and seriously - Jason had never ever heard about what Dick had called the prettiest and most convenient flooring materials. He had just agreed with Dick and waved it off, so Dick would be quiet about that one.

Dick had been way too over excited about all that. There was no reason to at all, Jason had thought, but what could he do about that anyway?

He had no idea what would still be coming though.

They had soon decided to make some appointments for visiting the few apartments that sounded interesting.

The first two visits hadn't gone all too well.

It had been an apartment of two big rooms, a small kitchen and a small bathroom. Jason had liked it. They would've had space, a roof over their heads, a place to shit, and it hadn't been all too expensive. The price was very important to Jason. He had started earning his money in non-criminal ways, for Dick, and he didn't want to live from Bruce's money, so their apartment should be payable. It had been perfect, really. But Dick had said it'd be too dark, the rooms were too small for them to work and sleep in and he didn't like its appearance.

In fact Dick just wanted another room for guests.

"Guests?" Jason had asked, "Why would you want a guest room in our apartment?"

"Because I need people around me sometimes. And the visitors will keep you from harassing me sexually all the time."

"We'll see about that one, Bluebird."

So a guest room they would have.

The second apartment had been another failure.

To Jason it had been okay. It had had one more room like Dick wanted it and the bedroom had been bigger, so they would've had space to work in there too. Dick had so much paperwork from his investigations as Nightwing as well as his police paperwork and Jason would need space for his weaponry and investigation too.

But Dick had complained about that one too. He thought the ceiling was way too low and he felt caged in an apartment like that. And also, the bathroom hadn't had a window and he didn't like that. Though his own apartment didn't have one either; Jason wondered where those high expectations came from all of a sudden.

"If we're seriously gonna decide that on the ceiling, we have to get you that pole so you can dance for me. That's the least you can do for me after causing so much trouble finding a simple apartment," Jason had said.

Dick had sighed at that, but Jason had noticed the sly grin that had followed before Dick had turned away.

The third apartment they were visiting on said Wednesday morning was way better. It was flooded with light from the big windows, the bathroom included, they would have an extra room for the guests, and the ceiling was higher. Perfect for awesome pole dances, Jason thought. He already inspected their probable bedroom and where the pole could be installed; and the flooring was also perfect for that installment! Yep, that was all Jason cared about in that moment.

"So this one's got everything you wanted. Does its 'appearance' satisfy you? Can we finally rent an apartment?" he finally asked,

"I love it! It'll be perfect! But we still need an agreement on the wall colors…"

That's when they started talking about the wall colors.

Jason only shrugged when Dick asked him what he'd like. He didn't think it was necessary. White was nice. His own apartment was pretty shabby and wasn't painted either. The Manor was another thing, but that house was older than dirt. And when he lived with his mother he had been happy to have four walls around him. Colors didn't matter. Colors never mattered. On the streets even less.

Even when Dick pushed him to name a nice color he stayed with his opinion. That's when Dick had asked him that question, incredulously.

"Are you serious?"

"Just pick what you like."

"But this will be your home too. You have to take part in this."

Jason sighed. If he really wanted that…

"Alright, then how about... uh, gray?"

Dick frowned. "Jay, I'm serious. How about red? You like red, don't you? Would you like our bedroom to have red walls?"

"No offense, Dickie, but I paint the walls red all the time, if you know what I mean. Wouldn't like to be reminded of that twenty-four-seven. Not at home."

"You said you stopped."

"Shoulders bleed too, Dickie-o."

Dick sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Anyway. That's a start, " he said then, "Now I know what you don't like. We're getting you where you need to be, Jaybird."

Like this they decided that not every room should be painted a different color. "I don't wanna live in a circus," Jason would say. Apparently he knew what he didn't like, but the opposite was even a mystery to himself. The living room, the bedroom, the kitchen and the bathroom would get a decent, almost white beige, though one wall of the bedroom would be dark brown where the bed would be, just like the hallway. Several lamps and furniture would highlight those walls.

"Coming to the guest room now..." Dick started then.

"Why should that be different?" Jason asked, "It's only for guests who will maybe sleep over a few times a month. It's nothing special."

"Maybe everything is too neutral. We should have a little bit of color and since you'll never enter that room – except when we fought and you have to sleep in there – you won't be disturbed by that color change. Which reminds me; maybe it should have a happy wall color so you can calm down easier."

Jason frowned. "You're making yourself the woman in this relationship, you realize that? You're doin' that job all by yourself."

"I can show you the woman I am, jerk. Take this serious! The best bet is to choose a gender neutral color."

Jason had been slow on the uptake, but he counted one and one together.

"Dickie," he started carefully, "You sure you want this to be a guest room?"

"Of course. Who else should that room be for?" Dick answered quickly, too quickly.

He only guessed at the time, but it would turn out that Dick planned that room for a possible future child.

Their preliminary guest room would be painted blue.

It wouldn't take long for Jason to propose to Dick.